"So, there will be monitoring on small routes or alternative routes that may be used by residents to return to their hometowns during Lebaran," informed head of West Java Transportation Agency, Hery Antasari, during a discussion on the ban on the 2021 Lebaran exodus, here on Thursday.
The provincial government is trying to prevent residents from going home using private vehicles, he added.
"Earlier, Organda (Land Transportation Organization) and PO (Autobus Company) had advised that the exodus ban be not only tightened for public transportation, but also other transportation and private vehicles so that people do not go home through alternative routes. That would be our focus," he said.
The agency also plans to create bulkheads at certain points, especially on the inter-provincial border route, to prevent residents from going home, he added.
Officers from the agency, police, army, and Civil Service Police Unit will also be deployed to guard 338 points against an exodus.
"It would be 338 points (monitored) in 27 regencies/cities in West Java. So, the routes will be guarded by joint (teams of) officers, not only from the West Java Transportation Agency," said head of land transportation at the West Java Transportation Agency, Iskandar.
"And those efforts do require a lot of human resources because blocking requires vehicles to stop. If the officers are only from the Transportation Agency, interception efforts will be difficult," he explained.
Meanwhile, data from the Transportation Ministry's Research and Development Center shows that around 83 million people head home for Lebaran in Indonesia, and 52 million of them are on Java island.
Of the figure, around 10.3 million come from Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi.
About four million residents who regularly go home during Lebaran are West Java residents, while the number of residents who frequently travel from the province is around 13 million.
Based on the data, 17 million people are estimated to have traveled outside the West Java region during the Lebaran homecoming period.
The West Java Provincial Transportation Office and the Regency and City Transportation Office are currently preparing a strategy to stop around 11 percent of people who are still planning to return home despite a homecoming ban imposed by the government in view of the prolonged pandemic. (INE)
Related news: Decision on homecoming exodus provisions expected before Ramadan: VP
Related news: Minister projects visitor influx at tourist destinations
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Ajat Sudrajat, Katriana
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
